


Flipping the Bird

by merelyafigment, visionofblue (merelyafigment)



Category: Oz (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Crack, I continue to insist on writing sweet fluff in Oz, M/M, One Shot, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27874749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merelyafigment/pseuds/merelyafigment, https://archiveofourown.org/users/merelyafigment/pseuds/visionofblue
Summary: A small piece of the outside world finds its way into Oz, and leads Ryan O'Reily to possibly discover a couple of strange things. (Silly fluff. In Oz. Because I'm me, and that's what I do.)
Relationships: Miguel Alvarez/Ryan O'Reily
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	Flipping the Bird

**Author's Note:**

> **Warning:** Oz was full of terrible attitudes, views, and slurs. This fic however, is quite tame for these characters. Except for the massive amounts of swearing, and inappropriate conversation that is thankfully not racist or homophobic for once. A bit disparaging towards mental illness and other things, but you can't win them all in Oz.
> 
> Note: My brain never wants to shut up when it's time to sleep. This is the strange story it told me in the dark when I was attempting (and clearly failing) to sleep last night.
> 
> I haven't abandoned Better Places To Be, the Brushfires series, or the Two Paths Diverged series. I have many drafts and outlines pertaining to them lying in wait. I'm merely pausing them for the holidays to focus on a fic with a deadline. I'm only doing weird quickly written crack one shots like this, apparently. (Written in one night and day, since I can only justify so much time spent on something this silly while I have things to finish. But I needed some cute stress relief.)

At first, the fucking hacks just thought the inmates were crazy. Or high. One guy got sent to the fucking Hole because he said the mysterious chirping was the thing trying to _drive_ him crazy. 

He _had_ been high, though. Ryan O'Reily knew, on account of having sold him his fix. 

Hell, at first, even Ryan thought it was all bullshit. The place was full of rumors and tall tales, and you had to know which ones to give weight. 

Then one day he heard the bird song. Echoing. Out in the middle of poorly lit nowhere, when he was pushing the rack of trays bound for the hospital ward. 

Took him a second to remember that _he_ wasn't high or batshit. 

Then he saw it, peeling the fuck out over his head. A blur due to its small size, moving wings, and high ceiling. 

Huh. 

There really was some lost lunatic bird trapped in Oz. 

Who knew? Maybe they should let that guy out of the Hole, since the motherfucker had been right. ... Nah, he'd definitely been having a bad trip, too. 

It wasn't long before even the hacks caught sight of it, and everyone knew it was real. They collectively agreed that it wasn't drugs or gossip. 

The impotent assholes in charge couldn't get rid of it, apparently. Either they were too lazy to catch it, or the massive, constantly turning and branching halls, and hidey-holes, combined with the high ceilings, made it too difficult even if they expended the energy to try. 

A lot of guys hated the thing. All wings and air, without laws or rules weighing it down, and yet it still got its stupid ass trapped behind grey stone. They hated it for not being able to find its way out, even with those wings, and people actively trying to help its ass out. (Presumably. Maybe the hacks were just taking extra smoke breaks, and calling it bird hunting.) The thing became a symbol of how futile the idea of anything getting out really was. 

Worse, what if it just chose to stay? It had come in here on its own, after all. Why the hell would it do that? So -- detested either way. It reminded them too much of outside. At first it was an intriguing taste of that world outside, something rare and wondrous in here. Completely out of place, breaking through heavy routine. But yeah, after a couple of weeks it just became a bitter reminder. Just like everything else. Hope curdled into hate and anger. 

A couple of guys still liked it, were even rooting for it, the bored crazy fucks. Ryan may have taken a few small bets on when and how it would disappear, but he wasn't getting in on the action himself. Rebadow said it was a message from God. Pretty shitty message, Ryan thought -- none of my creatures can escape Oz, or something. 

A couple really whacked out jackasses kept joking about eating it. Sometimes they'd ask Ryan how the nuggets were today in the slop line, pretending to look for feathers. Ryan had seen the thing. It was tiny, all bones. Plus, that was stupid. Even the nuggets they served were definitely better. 

Then one day, delivering lunch to the Hospital Ward again, Ryan took a detour. Not because he thought he heard a chirp. He just -- it didn't matter. He left the tray rack and slipped away. There was a stairwell off the Ward, out a door. Somehow Rebadow trying to escape out of it once didn't make the hacks watch it any more closely. Probably because it didn't lead anywhere useful. 

But there when Ryan crept out the door, he heard it before he saw it. 

Happy-sounding fucking chirps and tweets and shit. 

There bouncing or hopping across the damn stone over to an outstretched hand, instead of flying or walking, was the bird. 

Along with Miguel Fucking Alvarez, in his scrubs, sitting on one of the wide stone steps. 

Feeding the bird out of the palm of his hand. 

"Go away, O'Reily. Or be quiet." 

Ryan hadn't ever heard Alvarez's rough voice sound like that, even when the guy was clearly amusing himself taunting people. 

Soft and low, almost with a hidden rhythm. Like a tone reserved for sleepy kids you were fond of, or yeah, animals you were also fond of. Never fucking heard people sound like that in here. It was even more rare than chirping. It was clearly meant to keep the bird at ease, and not meant for Ryan. 

Ryan wasn't entirely sure if Alvarez's directive meant he wanted Ryan to keep his volume and loud noises down to keep from scaring the bird, or if it was a warning not to tell anyone he'd seen Miguel feeding it. In here? Probably both. Most shit had a double meaning. 

One thing Ryan realized right away, just from his brief observation of the man's attitude, was that this was not Miguel laying a trap to catch the bird, or happening upon it for the first time. 

He'd been feeding the fucking thing. 

Actually, Alvarez had stayed out of the betting, too, now that Ryan thought about it. He was always involved in the gossip, though, smirking and joking with everyone else. 

"How long have you been feeding his dumb ass?" Ryan asked, because, yeah, that was clearly why Alvarez found the gossip so amusing. He had his own slice of secret knowledge he was holding out. 

It being fed and tended to must be why it was still so chirpy and spry, even wheeling constantly through barren endless stone, trapped. 

Or maybe it stayed because of Miguel, who was still sitting calmly, arm outstretched with his open palm resting on the stone. A smile -- wasn't a smirk. That was a smile, small and only tugging up one corner of his mouth, but real nonetheless. Never saw that in here either. Maybe it was the weak-ass sunlight, barely filtering in through the caged windows on one side of the stairs, but Alvarez looked like he was graced by light. In his eyes, across that smile -- no, it was the way he was looking at the bird. Lit up from within, expression fonder than even his voice. (Which was pretty fucking affectionate on its own.) 

"It's not a guy. She's a lady, O'Reily. Aren't you, baby? Eres una chica guapa." Miguel kept speaking in that tone, which grew even lighter and more lilting when he directly addressed the bird. Almost baby talk, but not quite, with Miguel's rasping voice and confident attitude. Still strangely gentle, in his way. 

Ryan chased those useless thoughts away and focused. The bird wasn't pretty, really. Kind of had drab coloring and markings, but it was small and delicate looking. 

"Am I interrupting your quality time with your girlfriend, there?" Ryan sneered a little, but he didn't raise his voice. He maybe even moved slowly when he walked over. 

The bird stopped, twitching its head towards him. Head on a swivel. Maybe it did belong here. 

But after Miguel made a little noise between his teeth and lips, it went back to eating. 

"Don't spook her. Sit. Slowly, over there." Miguel smoothly indicated his other side on the steps with his free hand. "Slow." 

Ryan listened to Alvarez just this once, because there was no harm in it, and he was curious. Plus, it was better than slinging trays to whining bitching assholes. The bird paused a couple of times as Ryan settled onto the stone, but eventually decided he wasn't a threat, apparently. 

"How do you even know it's a girl?" Ryan leaned close, brushing against Miguel's side, peering over. Bird was small, even up close, and it was finished with the food no longer in Miguel's hand. It still stayed happily bouncing on the steps, near him. Hopped up onto his thigh, then down, then back again. "It's just fucking feathers." 

The smile spread across Miguel's face, even more real and bright, turning towards Ryan with a question. "Wanna learn a trick?" 

Didn't wait for an answer. 

"Come here, baby. Just a second. Good girl." Miguel swept the bird up, cupped gently in his palm. 

"It's not a dog." Ryan pointed out. 

Miguel kept grinning at him, a little bit of a smirk sneaking in without overshadowing the strange joy. He focused it down at the bird, calmly held on its back in his hand. "But she's still a good girl. Aren't ya?" 

Ryan stared as -- was Miguel blowing on the thing? 

Jesus, he was. He was being gentle again, blowing on the bird's small underbelly, ruffling up the feathers so Ryan could catch sight of something before the feathers settled back into place and it was gone. Didn't really see anything. "How is that supposed to--" 

"If it was a guy, I'd know. Trust me, she's a lady." He set the bird back down, and it didn't seem to care. It was making its tiny noises. Still happy. 

"How the fuck did you even know to do that?" 

Miguel shrugged one shoulder. "Got an Aunt. Has birds. Ain't a story there, O'Reily." 

Sure, no story there. That part was probably true. 

But Miguel Alvarez had been feeding, chilling with, and fucking picking up to blow on, Oz's new mascot (or failed escapee) with everyone else none the wiser. 

There was a story here, Ryan just didn't fucking understand it. 

Miguel apparently wasn't in the camp who hated the little bouncing chirping symbol of thwarted freedom. 

He practically cooed at it. 

Fed it out of his hand. 

Yep, there it went hopping back onto his thigh again. Just for a moment, before it took flight for the short trip to Alvarez's shoulder. Guy didn't flinch, or do anything other than keep that small genuine half-smile barely tugging at his lips. It wasn't wide anymore, but it was still there. Barely tucked away and peeking out. It was mostly in his eyes now. 

Bird was too small to make Miguel look like a crappy dime store pirate in scrubs or something while it sat on his shoulder. He looked strange, though. Fucking confusing. 

Then he turned his head, and it sort of fucking kissed him. He answered with a tiny pretend smacking noise when it gently pecked near his lips. Jesus. 

"Jesus. Guess I wasn't far off with the girlfriend thing." 

Miguel rolled his eyes, but he was careful not to jostle the bird. He let it hop down a slightly outstretched arm, before fluttering back to the steps. 

Fuck. Had the thing actually gone up there just to get that kiss? 

"What, does blowing on it get it off or something?" Ryan mused idly, just to get a rise out of Alvarez. Thankfully, Ryan didn't think that was actually true. Shit, it had better not be. That'd be kind of fucked up. 

"What?!" Okay, that time Miguel startled the bird a bit. Made it flap and hop agitatedly away from him as his head whipped around to shoot Ryan a horrified look. "I don't -- Jesus, O'Reily! I don't fucking know! Why would that -- fuck, man." Miguel shook his head, to clear the thoughts, or in disgust. Again, it was probably both. 

Ryan grinned, as the bird settled back down by Miguel's leg after the commotion. "Hey, you're the one exposing it, and it did want a kiss after." Ryan shrugged, sort of enjoying fucking around with the man's head. He kept his voice below normal volume and his movements slow, though. 

Miguel glared at him, carefully jabbing a finger in Ryan's direction, even as he tried to keep his voice soft. He'd lost that cute little baby tone, even while remaining quiet, though. "That's some sick shit, O'Reily." Miguel looked back down at the bird, kind of curling his hand around where it stood, and it fluttered its wings against his palm. "You don't listen to that perverted bastard." 

Okay. Alvarez had to be fucking with him in return this time. Yep, he threw an amused look back at Ryan after deliberately talking to the bird that time. The low chuckle Ryan didn't try to hold back didn't bother the bird. 

Miguel stopped watching it, fucking _fondly_ , and turned his gaze back to Ryan. "You want to feed her?" 

Like it was a day at the fucking park. Not here, tucked away in a stairwell of steel and stone, by large windows made to seem small by the metal mesh covering them and locking them in. Diffusing the light and keeping even that away from them. 

With a bouncing happy dumb bird. Who wanted Miguel Fucking Alvarez's food and kisses. 

"Your little princesa there ain't kissing me." Was what came out of Ryan's mouth, harsh but still quiet enough to keep from disturbing the thing and making it all flappy again. Alvarez would bitch if Ryan chased off the lunatic's fucking pet. 

Miguel chuckled quietly too, shaking his head softly, and that didn't startle it either. "You ain't earned that shit. She don't like your ass." Ryan was still sitting right at Alvarez's side, the movement brushing him again as the man reached into his little front top scrub pocket. "Give me your hand, man." 

Ryan did. 

Nothing better to do, and it might be his only chance for something different in here, no matter how fucking stupid and strange. 

It wasn't Morogoro, or a day in the park, but it was definitely a rare interesting deviation from the norm. 

Just for one day. 

***  
End

**Author's Note:**

> Badly web translated Spanish (I'm always sorry about that, and wish it was better): 
> 
> Eres una chica guapa. = You are a pretty girl. 
> 
> More rambling: This turned out oddly similar to the Julie ficlet. Apparently, Alvarez fawning over animals while Ryan watches him in confusion is just a thing I write now. Yes, this is crack, but I've seen birds in stores, office buildings, and other buildings before. Miguel probably wouldn't actually be able to tell the gender that way, though I've seen people do that with parakeets. (I didn't specify the bird sort of on purpose   
> but parakeet isn't necessarily what I'm picturing. YMMV.) And one thing I've noticed rewatching the early seasons of the shows: a lot of Oz authors lock the inmates down better than the show did. I've watched them frequently just wandering around hallways, stairwells, going places unescorted (and not them bribing and sneaking around, either -- just Said walking around in halls with Keane, etc, or going from place to place all alone). Whereas Oz authors (sometimes) agonize and plan how to get them away from the COs, the show itself had them casually unsupervised frequently. I feel way less guilty now over my own tendency to just ignore it or claim magic! coincidence! or bribes!. ;)


End file.
